[sangreal]

They don't change their prices based on where they have to charge sales tax. Price also really not much bearing on the need to collect sales tax. The point that many try to make is that customers will be turned off when they have to start paying tax for their purchases and it will bring prices more in parity

Your post makes no sense. You start off saying they don't change their prices based on where they have to charge sales tax. You go on to say that collecting sales tax will bring prices more in parity. Only one of those statements can be true (it's the latter one).

Of course they change their prices based on where they have to charge sales tax. The price becomes the price + tax. Even post-tax, Amazon will usually beat Best Buy.

[carfo]

Remember Circuit City? It's a cycle of life.

[Seraphinianus]

Out of curiosity, is there a brick and mortar retailer that people DO like? I guess it could be a case of the haters being the more vocal group, but I almost never see anything positive said about B&M retailers. Just been wondering.

gamestop for cheap used games when the price difference isn't much from amazon.

*goes into gaf witness protection program*

[Cr0wn0]

I expect Fry's Electronics to outlast Best Buy.

I think Frys will be OK, I heard they will pricematch Amazon now. Frys is about a 30 minute drive for me so unless its an emergency I still stick with amazon. I might go more often also if it didn't feel like I was walking into a labor camp. Every employee acts like they just want to die.

[LuchaShaq]

I wouldn't go to best buy over Amazon even if Amazon was twice the price. Best buy is a shit hole usually filled with asshole scam artist employees. Can't think of a single store I'd rather shop at less than best buy.

[andycapps]

I actually bought my wife and my phones there a couple years ago due to their rebates being instant and being able to get their reward points. Which amounted to a $10 gift card or some such, but it's something, I guess. It was mostly due to the instant rebates. It looks like our carrier, Sprint, is doing those now so I'm not sure if I'll use them or not when our contract is up.

[dskillzhtown]

Makes sense. It's worked for RadioShack so far.

I was thinking the same thing. Mobile has kept Radio Shack in business when everyone figured they would be gone a long time ago.

I know people are saying, "DEATH TO BEST BUY," but losing all brick and mortar stores is not what we want. You shouldn't need a internet connection and a mailing address to buy electronics. If Best Buy shuts down then Wal-Mart becomes the only place you can actually walk into. I am not really welcoming that future.

I don't mind Best Buy, in the past year I have bought an iPad there, a few games, a couple of blu-rays and my folks bought a TV there. I do think they gambled and lost in trying to go high-end with the Magnolia stuff and I don't think the music instrument stuff is paying off either. They need to make some changes for sure, but I would hate to see them go out of business.

One thing the immediately need to get rid of is the sales reps from their partners in the stores. Those jerks try to be sly and make conversation when they are trying to sell you DirecTV! They are persistent and it is not the time or place for that crap when you are just walking around the store. I could see if you were buying a TV and the Best Buy sales person asked about if you were interested in DirecTV and if so call the guy over, but the way they are doing it now is doing more harm than good.

[Death Dealer]

Yeah BB sucks. The employees are usually clueless and the prices are designed to take advantage of tech illiterates.

My last trip there 3-4 years ago, I bought an LCD PC monitor. I also needed a DVI-HDMI dongle. The monster brand dongle was like $50. The cheapest generic option they had was thirty five dollars. I went next door to Fry's Electronics and got it for $7.

[BattleMonkey]

Your post makes no sense. You start off saying they don't change their prices based on where they have to charge sales tax. You go on to say that collecting sales tax will bring prices more in parity. Only one of those statements can be true (it's the latter one). Of course they change their prices based on where they have to charge sales tax. The price becomes the price + tax. Even post-tax, Amazon will usually beat Best Buy.

Err thats not what is being said. The actual price of the products do no change either way. Sales tax is an extra charge tossed onto the base price of the product by the state. Amazon is not going to change their prices, tax just gets added on. As I was trying to say, the idea people have is that charging sales tax is going to be a big hit to amazon since they believe it will be some kind of leveling of the playing field. Amazon still charges less than MSRP for most products so this is not exactly true. Some customers might get put off by having to suddenly pay tax and might turn away, but still Amazon will usually be cheaper.

[Kunohara]

Shouldn't this be a bad thing? Less competition will mean fewer options for buying shit. I really don't want Amazon and Walmart to be the only places left to buy shit. I fucking hate going into a Walmart, and Amazon.ca selection is fucking donkey shit compared to the US one.

[JWong]

But... but my Best Buy member card. ;_;

They failed to stock Vita games, so fuck 'em.

[dskillzhtown]

I think Frys will be OK, I heard they will pricematch Amazon now. Frys is about a 30 minute drive for me so unless its an emergency I still stick with amazon. I might go more often also if it didn't feel like I was walking into a labor camp. Every employee acts like they just want to die.

Ain't that the truth. I have bought a few games, some pc components, and general electronic supplies at Fry's but I can't say my times there were exactly pleasant. The only people who seemed happy were the people selling motherboards and memory.

[ckohler]

Is there a list of the stores affected?

To be honest, as an impulse buyer I prefer Best Buy to online shopping or Walmart. Prices might not be the best but for most items I purchase there, the prices are the same. I just like the convienace.

[marrec]

Remember Circuit City? It's a cycle of life.

I remember Comp USA quite fondly. :(

[nVidiot_Whore]

I do not do any casual shopping at Best Buy anymore.. used to love going in there some 10 years ago.. great prices on DVD and music.. salespeople mostly just didn't bother you.. register people didn't annoy you to buy anything else, get a "free magazine subscription", etc.

They had some major shift in policy in the mid 2000's that just killed the place for me.

The breaking point for me? I was buying a $100 DVD player.. and was hassled on the floor by an employee to buy a replacement plan.. had to tell him 3-4 times I wasn't going to buy one... walked up to the register and could tell the guy was also going to do the same thing.. I quite literally said:

"Please do not ask me to buy a replacement plan, I just want to check out, seriously I am not going to buy one."

What did the guy say.. "Are you sure you don't want one? I mean, you are going to FEEL PRETTY STUPID when that DVD player breaks and you are out $100."

I turned around and walked straight to the customer service desk to talk to a manager.. gave him my 2 cents on how obnoxious they'd become.. bought the player, and largely avoided them since.

Probably spent $10,000 on electronics since then that I might have spent at Best Buy had they not become so obnoxious.

I did recently buy a TV from them.. the price was the same as amazon.com, shipping was free, and more expedient than amazon.com could get me. Other than that.. I've only made a few regrettable trips there, whereas I used to quite literally go to Best Buy every Tuesday to check out new music/DVD releases.

[Hero_of_the_Day]

So, it has finally begun. Crazy. Is there a list of closing stores I'm not seeing somewhere?

[tuffy]

Theoretically, a retail store where you can pick up electronics Right Now should offer more convenience over a web store that'll get stuff to you in 2-3 days. But if Best Buy isn't price competitive, searching for available products via their website is a chore, and ordering products from their website for pickup is a waste of time, that means any advantage to having all that retail space evaporates.

I wouldn't call them doomed just yet, but they'd better start leveraging their strengths in a hurry.

[Duane Cunningham]

Couldn't happen to a nicer company.

but hey, no problem, I'll just go back to all the mom n pop electronics stores that were around before Best Buy.

wait

[BigAT]

Too much of the general populace still really doesn't like to buy things online, and there is always the instant gratification of leaving a store with an item. Best Buy will shrink and restructure, but it's not going anywhere.

I'm sure Circuit City thought the same thing as well.

I can't believe we're 60 posts in and the thread isn't discussing the Forbes firing squad article on Best Buy last year

Wasn't there a thread on that article as well?

[BattleMonkey]

Theoretically, a retail store where you can pick up electronics Right Now should offer more convenience over a web store that'll get stuff to you in 2-3 days. But if Best Buy isn't price competitive, searching for available products via their website is a chore, and ordering products from their website for pickup is a waste of time, that means any advantage to having all that retail space evaporates. I wouldn't call them doomed just yet, but they'd better start leveraging their strengths in a hurry.

You get convenience, but not better pricing from B&M stores. Most B&M stores simply can't compete with online sellers like Amazon due to all the extra costs associated with running a B&M.

[sangreal]

You get convenience, but not better pricing from B&M stores. Most B&M stores simply can't compete with online sellers like Amazon due to all the extra costs associated with running a B&M.

I wouldn't give them the convenience edge. Amazon 1-click shopping is infinitely more convenient than driving to a Best Buy and dealing with the hustlers.

Amazon also has fantastic customer service.

All Best Buy has going for them is same-day gratification (offered by Amazon in some areas)

[JGS]

Out of curiosity, is there a brick and mortar retailer that people DO like? I guess it could be a case of the haters being the more vocal group, but I almost never see anything positive said about B&M retailers. Just been wondering.

I love Best Buy and never get the hate. Routinely get great deals. Reading the complaints, I have a hard time grasping what people are whining about.

I like going in, buying stuff, & leaving. I've never had an experience of not finding anyone so maybe our stores are overstaffed.

[LuchaShaq]

The number 1 reason I wouldn't shop at best buy ever again even if they were half as expensive as walmart/amazon.

My experience trying to return a pair of headphones that stopped working within a week of purchase. (were decent headphones and I got a giftcard as a gift) WITH the box and receipt.

Step 1 35+ minute wait at returns because there was 1 person working an 8 person line

Step 2 Accuse me of breaking them while opening the box (wut).

Step 3 Accuse me of trying to turn my gift card into cash (wut?)

Step 4 Wait another 15 minutes while she gets manager.

Step 5 Listen to manager throw a hissy fit when I don't want to give them my email/phone number because I don't want their spam and they have no other reason to have it.

Step 6 Use entire gift card on overpriced batteries so I never have to walk into Best buy again.


Amazon customer service.

Bought my gf a very nice birthstone ring, the stone fell out but she got it repaired without telling me it broke because she felt bad.

Emailed amazon and told them that hoping I could scan/email the repair receipt and get it covered somehow.

With no proof it ever broke, no proof of the repair cost, amazon credited me 80% of the price and said keep the ring and sorry that it was an inconvenience.

Took less than 5 minutes.

[Vox-Pop]

Good, they didn't hire me when I applied two years ago.

[BattleMonkey]

I wouldn't give them the convenience edge. Amazon 1-click shopping is infinitely more convenient than driving to a Best Buy and dealing with the hustlers. Amazon also has fantastic customer service. All Best Buy has going for them is same-day gratification (offered by Amazon in some areas)

Depends what your buying and your proximity of course. I live really close to one so it's often just a simple stop on the way home to just pick up a dvd/blu ray on sale. And if I need something right away that amazon doesn't have or don't have time to wait for shipping, it's also convenient in that sense.

As mentioned in the article also, there is also just the research factor of people who like to see/touch/try the product before hand in person than blind buy online. Course many will just use best buy to do this and go home to order online cheaper.

[sangreal]

Good, they didn't hire me when I applied two years ago.

They didn't hire me when I was in high school because I said I wouldn't snitch if I saw another employee take a dollar. I thought honesty might count for something

[JGS]

They didn't hire me when I was in high school because I said I wouldn't snitch if I saw another employee take a dollar. I thought honesty might count for something

It did.

[Kinitari]

I'm sure Circuit City thought the same thing as well.

I mean, the difference is that Best Buy is still making money. Their last report shows them beating expectations as well. Doom and Gloom seems weird in that light.

[BattleMonkey]

We got Brandsmart down here that usually beats Best Buy at everything price wise, but I refuse to shop there. It's like being in some third world market to get anything.

Hhrgregs are popping up everywhere now too which are similar to Best Buys, but don't see much difference in price.... after CC and now BB issues, it seems odd to see another similar retailer

They didn't hire me when I was in high school because I said I wouldn't snitch if I saw another employee take a dollar. I thought honesty might count for something

I'm sure other employers would be thrilled to hear that

[RoninChaos]

This is what I did with my last HDTV purchase. Checked it out in store at Best Buy, but purchased it on Amazon. Was literally like $600 cheaper on Amazon, with "white glove delivery" service meaning they carry it up the stairs and can even unbox it/set it up etc. And no annoying Best Buy clerk begging you to buy some Monster Cables. (also no sales tax etc)

That's really the thing that's killing them. I don't think they can afford to do amazon's pricing without totally fucking their business.

I'm right there with you though, I prefer Amazon over most everything but it's mainly because of price. If I can save a few bucks and not have to go deal with traffic and the store, I will.

That and my reward points expiring really pissed me off. lol

[sangreal]

I'm sure other employers would be thrilled to hear that

It wasn't meant as a slight against BestBuy? I was 16, who cares

[planar1280]

Source: Yahoo finance Whose going to choose to pay higher prices and deal with annoying salesman when you can avoid both by going to amazon?

Good riddance after they screwed up my entire thanksgiving shopping

[sfedai0]

They should turn in to Amazon and convert their B&M in to warehouses.

[oatmeal]

Shit I was just thinking today there aren't enough electronics stores. I miss being able to walk into a store and actually see and touch things before I buy them on Amazon .

lol

Exactly what I do.

[Alligatorjandro]

I like Best Buy.They have good sales sometimes.I don't really shop online much.

[Hero_of_the_Day]

They didn't hire me when I was in high school because I said I wouldn't snitch if I saw another employee take a dollar. I thought honesty might count for something

Yeah, I was told by a friend who worked there that they want you 100% on any of the quiz questions. So, if you're asked how you feel about something, you go full power one way or the other depending on the question. No grey areas or unsureness or you won't get through the initial weeding out test. Which I believe means, if you do it online, no human will ever even see your results. It's just flagged as a bad potential employee and you go no further.

[ruxtpin]

notasinglefuckwasgiven.jpg

After being hassled by dumbass employees, game pre-order bullshit, and declining to match their websites prices - watching BestBuy fail is just sweet justice.

I tried to purchase a hard-drive there one time and was attempting to use a 10% off coupon. On the same transaction I also purchased an iTunes pre-paid card for my brother. When it came time to pay, my total was about 10 dollars more than it should have been. I notified the cashier, to which he replied he had used my coupon and that's what it came out to be. I pulled out my phone and showed him what 10% off would mean for my total. He told me I would have to pay and take it up with customer service. I did and found out that the genius had applied my coupon to the $10 dollar iTunes card and not the more expensive hard-drive.

And have you ever looked at those "coupons" they put out? Read the back and look at what you're allowed to use it on now (basically restricts you to their expensive ass products and nothing else).

OH! And when I pre-ordered the Forza 4 LE, I got an email a few days before it was supposed to ship saying they couldn't fulfill my order. Better yet though, they had already sent out some fuzzy-dice (which were a pre-order incentive). Come to find out that they charged me for the dice instead. I went ballistic on the lady on the phone after she told me, "Your game order was cancelled, but because you received the dice we have to charge you for those."

[steveovig]

I like Best Buy.

[sangreal]

Yeah, I was told by a friend who worked there that they want you 100% on any of the quiz questions. So, if you're asked how you feel about something, you go full power one way or the other depending on the question. No grey areas or unsureness or you won't get through the initial weeding out test. Which I believe means, if you do it online, no human will ever even see your results. It's just flagged as a bad potential employee and you go no further.

Right, I found that out later. They tell you upfront when you fail the quiz that you're a bad employee and they don't want you

[tuffy]

I wouldn't give them the convenience edge. Amazon 1-click shopping is infinitely more convenient than driving to a Best Buy and dealing with the hustlers.

It doesn't have to be that way. Best Buy could offer a website that's easy to search, and easy to buy from, and have employees ready to load shiny boxes of electronics into your trunk when you drive over to the nearest store for pickup. But they don't, and it's going to drive them out of business unless they can turn that retail space into an advantage.

[Applesauce]

I bought a few games from them last year since they had some decent deals from time to time. The "store pickup plus" at the store I go to left a lot to be desired, however.

[akira28]

Maybe with less Best Buy stores, more wholesale Mom and Pop shops can come back and be the local counterpart to online sales.

[Kosmo]

It will be interesting how all the people will calling for the closing of Best Buy will react if there is no place for people go and get hands on experience with a device. I'm not sure how we get around the conundrum, though, of taking advantage of brick and mortars for testing and then buying on line at a lower price because they have vastly lower overhead.

[BattleMonkey]

Maybe with less Best Buy stores, more wholesale Mom and Pop shops can come back and be the local counterpart to online sales.

Nah, we will just get more walmarts

[Nakazato]

do we have any list of what stores are closing liquidation sales for compusa and CC we pretty good

[jmdajr]

well hope the store lasts until past my tv warranty is up

[MechDX]

http://www.amazon.com/Amazon-com-Pri...d_i=1000645111

Download it. Use it. Love it.

I whip my phone out whenever at Best Buy and compare prices. Comedy ensues when you do it in front of a BB employee.

[Kosmo]

do we have any list of what stores are closing liquidation sales for compusa and CC we pretty good

Inventory will just be moved. You might find a good deal here and there, but chances are they will just mark the smaller shit 25% off and then move the items they know they can sell to other stores.

I whip my phone out whenever at Best Buy and compare prices. Comedy ensues when you do it in front of a BB employee.

LOL, please recount the tale!

[DoctorWho]

and not a single fuck was given. I feel fortunate to work in an industry not threatened by Amazon

Tell that to all the people losing their jobs.

[Kinitari]

I don't understand how this is a signal of Best Buy's imminent doom. It's making money, they're doing similar things in Canada - closing stores that aren't profitable and 'restructuring' to continue to make money is something they've been doing for a while to prevent profit loss - and it seems to be working. Best Buy Mobile sales (in Canada at least) account for a disproportionately high about of their operating profit as well, something like 1/3rd, so focusing more on that (buy opening little small mobile stores, like they currently are) makes sense.

All in all, I work at Best Buy, so I am the LAST thing from a fan of the store - I just can't see this as being any sort of indication of it's demise.